Winter 2014 Auction Closing Feb 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2014
True story: Yankees ace Lefty Gomez stood on the mound and watched Boston's Jimmie Foxx take off his warm-up jacket and walk slowly to the plate. Staring at his catcher, Bill Dickey, Gomez shook off sign after sign until finally he blankly just stared back. Dickey called time and approached the ace southpaw. "What's wrong, why are you shaking every sign I give you? What do you want to throw him?" Dickey asked. Gomez stared warily at Foxx, the slugger's muscular arms slicing his bat menacingly through the air. "Let's not throw him anything. If we stay out here long enough, maybe he’ll just go away".
In the late 1920's and 30's, no one could come close to Babe Ruth's power and idolization except one man - Jimmie Foxx. Although known as "The Beast" due to his rugged muscled physique, Foxx was as affable as they came and he remained a popular figure throughout his long career. First becoming famous with the legendary 1929-31 Athletics, Foxx had been obtained by the Boston Red Sox in 1936 in the hopes that his bat would help bring a pennant to Boston. Though Foxx and his bat hit homer after homer, he was but one man and the Red Sox would have to wait until 1946 for that elusive pennant.
This gorgeous Red Sox warm up jacket dates from Foxx's last seasons with Boston. Dated to 1939-1942, the McAuliffe jacket is a definitive example of the classic baseball jacket. Since these expensive coats were held over from year to year, this jacket shows the expected heavy use. That this jacket has survived is remarkable, as most teams simply reissued them over and over until they were no longer useful. The coat is approximately size 44-46, equaling Foxx's measurements during that era. The body is of thick Boston navy blue wool with navy and gray striped ribbed collar, waistband and cuffs. The cuffs are well worn with holes visible on the waist band and cuffs. The leather sleeves are a soft buff suede color. There is a tear in the upper left shoulder and the back of the upper right sleeve, plus there are various stains as would be expected from a garment used over the course of several campaigns. Pockets are trimmed in the same buff suede and the inside pockets are intact and also of the same rugged leather. The front is closed with seven large buttons, all which are intact. To top off the front of this iconic piece of baseball history is the classic Red Sox' socks emblem. The early version of this classic design is in glorious red and gray chain stitching, which even over 70 years later is bright and strongly attached. The number "3", Jimmie's number with Boston, is stamped on a strip of cloth tagging sewn to the inside of the right placket, further cementing its use by the first ballot Hall of Famer and charter member of the 500 Home Run club.
The jacket was originally obtained from Foxx by actor Dick Foran (1910-79). A letter included in this lot from Dick's son, Sean Foran, states his father received the jacket from Jimmie Foxx sometime in the 1960s. It is a truly unique and rare uniform item from one of the most powerful sluggers of the game's golden era. Letter of Authenticity from MEARS.